I wonder how they think this is going to work? They are going to end up having to rewrite all the history books that have gays in it. The Holocaust will be unable to be part of the syllabus unless they rewrite history.

Teh European Union and its human rights demands of members has done so much to advance gays rights.

Its about time the Europeans declare my country a threat to civilization, a nation filled with relgiious hate, and turn it into a pariah.

Until we can rise up and toss christianity into the toilet from which it emerged like the sewer rat it is.

If there was a god, these people all would have been aborted.

BTW same for not the parishoniers but the Vatican.

If one large bomb had been dropped on the Reichstag with AH and his gang there, WWII would not have happened.

it would take about 3 to 5 trucks all filled with high explosive to turn the vatican and its pope and cardinals into a smoking hole. The german RATZInger pope becoming the last of the line of that filthy insittution, which btw has yet to EXcomm AH, while they rant about protecting life.

For those of you who do not know section 28, it was a law in the UK way back in 1988 under local government or council jurisdiction that banned homosexuality being discussed in family studies, court rooms, schools, hospitals and nursing homes, etc.

In 2002 the law got repealed because the law was useless and silly anyway!!!

Typical Republicans, always obsessing over homosexuality and what gay men do by having anal sex – sounds to me that all republicans are in the closet loving Sean Cody and other gay porn and “lifting other people’s luggage” at airports all over the US!!!!!

Those Republicans are more obsessed about anal sex then me as a gay rights activist for god’s sake!!!

I love anal sex with other men but you do not have to make it a life’s mission to put it in the law – Republicans have too much time on their hands so to speak. How about the concentrate on the “bread and butter” issues facing the US, such as housing, the economy and jobs (and please stop obsessing over gay sex)

And sex education in our schools in the UK is practically non-existent, no wonder we have one of the west’s highest out of wedlock birth rates. Ignorance for some is bliss I suppose. We’re not so different in this respect to what’s going on in Tennessee.

Its bad enough these kids are already brainwashed with biblical literalism in the “Bible Belt” of Tennessee even before they enter elementary school and now they want to suppress awareness and scientific knowledge of the very reality some of these children’s sexual orientation in the schools. This type of irrational legislation only exacerbates the negative signals society already sends to these young people: that they are bad and there is something wrong with them. Many of these children become more confused, guilt and shame ridden. No wonder so many of our LGBT young people are clinically depressed, or suicidal. This man is an idiot and “throw back” to the Dark Ages and has no business being a legislator.

“The bill is neutral. We should leave it to families to decide when it is appropriate to talk with children about sexuality – specifically before the eighth grade.”

Neutral, eh? So heterosexuality will also be censored? Somehow, I think not.

People who make this kind of legislation promote homophobia and destroy lives. Discrimination and brainwashing of this sort leads to gay bashings and suicide. These legislators have blood on their hands – they deserve to drop dead.

“The bill is neutral. We should leave it to families to decide when it is appropriate to talk with children about sexuality – specifically before the eighth grade.”

Neutral, eh? So heterosexuality will also be censored? Somehow, I think not.

People who make this kind of legislation promote homophobia and destroy lives. Discrimination and brainwashing of this sort leads to gay bashings and suicide. These legislators have blood on their hands – they deserve to drop dead.

Oh bloody hell. Well, let’s hope that either the state Senate rejects it or that the Governor uses his power of veto, although I’m not hopeful.
The weird thing it, I’ve been to Nashville many times (and I’m going back in June) and the people there are so friendly, I’ve never had any trouble at all even though it is the “buckle of the Bible belt”. Whilst they have a reputation for being redneck bigots, in my experience that’s not true

You are running into the interesting situation where people seem so nice but under the surface harbor horrific hatreds when the wrong subject comes up. Something they are taught in church.

I know a fixed gay who seemed to be adecent guy with whom I disagreed. After a couple dozen dinner meetings I managed to tear off his veil of ciivlity.

of the hate group Westboro Baptist church, he said gays support it.

of Matthew Shepard, the boy viciously murdered in Wyoming in 1998 because he was gay, this creep said “Matthew’s parents should have fixed him”

I’m going to have one more meeting with him, where I will attack and attack his horrible catholic church for all its crimes against humanity.

And finish by saying his gaynessy was because he was raped as a youngster by his priests as a youth. Hopefully hewil freak out and run screaming out of the restaurant and get slaughtered by the traffic

this creep deserves it. Just as his church and fix the gays peopel deserve the guillotine.

The liberal and homosexual agendas are why I keep my children as far away from public schools as possible. The homosexual lifestyle is still as deviant as it always has been. When will we “progress” to glorifying and protecting Pediophiles and handing our children over to be further destroyed by THEM?? Luckily, these children will grow up and realize they’ve been lied to.

I understand that Shannon’s post is a trollish logical fallacy, but I think asking someone to abandon their frame of reference in support of yours is a negotiation tactic that is destined for failure. Not that you ever intended to attempt to convince her of anything (she is clearly thoroughly convinced already), but consider the impact on the overall mission of gay rights activism; the fundamental conservative Christian perspective is that ‘the homosexual agenda’ aims to strip the nation of Christianity, so asking someone to leave religion out of it really only further convinces them that they are right about this so-called agenda. You may think that their beliefs are silly, but they take them seriously; asking them to set them aside is not going to accomplish your mission any more than telling you to set being gay aside will accomplish theirs. The real issue is where their frame of reference interferes with your civil liberties, and I think that’s where the focus should be. my2cents

Shannon, have you actually taken the time to get to know any gay, lesbian or bisexual people? I’m guessing that you are religious, am I right? Doesn’t your religion encourage the virtues of compassion, love, kindness and such like towards others and urge you to overcome hate, emnity, intolerance and prejudice towards others?

I feel sorry for your children having such a bigot for a mother. The fact they clearly will grow with your hatred has to put into question if you are the right type of parent at all. All I see if your damaging your child and if I had my way you’d be up for child abuse.

The is no such thing as a ‘homosexual agenda or lifestyle. There is only a chose religious agenda and lifestyle which clearly for you promotes hatred and discrimination.

Well said, Jock. Shannon, a few decades ago you could have felt justified in teaching your children that black people were hated by god. Obviously, a load of bull, but some people genuinely thought it and could quote the Bible to ‘prove’ it.

Nobody (I hope) would do that now, yet you feel justified in being prejudiced towards gay people? Why? In some years time, you and people like you will be looked on with the same horror as the biblically-inspired racists I mentioned in my first paragraph.

FYI, hearing and learning about homosexuality will NOT change any child’s sexuality. Ever. Either the child will already be gay, or they’ll be straight and grow up to be a much more enlightened person than you seem to be.

What Tennessee is doing is brain-washing and creating hate and ignorance. It’s also breaking the values of the Us Constitution, which enforces a wall of separation between Church and State.

Well said Iris.
The trouble with state sponsored brain-washing backed by religion is yet again they are creating fear for those who are LGBT.
Yet again none of this is done in the best interest of the child it is all done to be mindful of how the parent must feel. That parent that chose to have a child. Far from wanting the best for their child they they don’t want the risk of their child embarrassing them or their standing in the public arena.
With that comes a yet more damage to society in the message some people are born unacceptable. Then they wonder why the number of suicides.
It’s very sad. I do hope they will come to learn the damage they are doing to children.

Yep – par for the course sadly. To me that suggests they know that some valid points are being made but they’re scared to respond, or even think them over, because their ‘faith’ is a liitle shield they’ve built around themselves and nothing must be allowed to show it up for the falseness it is.

You have to pity these people because in many cases their ‘faith’ is actually a form of psychosis.

*Note – that is a comment on a PARTICULAR kind of faith not faith in general.

Most teachers are not qualified to discuss sexuality objectively and we can see that
with the on growing of pre-teen pregnancy, abortions, STD epidemic, rapes, etc. Kids today are being bombarded with sex in every aspect of their social life – music, entertainers, movies, DVD’s…almost all of it glorifies early sexual behavior. What families and education and religion should concentrate on are that we don’t have to act like animals and live on impulsive behavior – “if it feels good, do it.” attitude. As a mature society we need to set standards that will give them something they can be proud of as they grow up.

Untrue, Hank. Teachers are OBLIGED to be neutral. A gay teacher, like myself, can and WILL teach all children about sexuality fairly, and your suggestion that we can’t or won’t is offensive.

Also, it’s wholly unfair to blame teachers for the problems of society. Most damaged children are, sadly, let down by their PARENTS not their school or teachers. And that is not connected to the disgusting decision in Tennessee.

\Christians – trying to put not just gays, but the word “gay” in the closet.

we should load them up with their bibles and give them to the taliban as a peace offereing.

That is what we call a triple headder – Rid of sick bigots, lots of fun watching them deal with zealots like them except for their brand name, and getting our troops out of another of bush’s screwed up wars.

Don’t forget that is the same state that, in 1925, enacted a law that made the teaching of Darwin’s of evolution illegal. The same legislation also barred teachers from denying the Biblical theory of creation.

This law was challenged in what came to be known as the “Scopes Monkey Trial” but the constitutionality of the law was upheld. (The was finally repealed in 1967.)

So it comes as no surprise to me that they are at it again. Tennessee has gone a long way since 1925 – BACKWARDS.

Tennessee, is that in America the land of the free? Or are they one of those terrorist countries where they are dropping bombs? Who ever they are they must be stupid. Surely they could not be in the USA where they have freedom of speach in schools?

The same closet case has been pushing this bill for years and it’s never gone anywhere, so I assume it will meet the same fate this time around too. Then again, I’m not sure how the teabagger sweep of the elections last year affected the Tennessee statehouse, so maybe that’s a dangerous assumption. I’d be kind of surprised though — Tennessee may not be the most progressive state, but it isn’t exactly the deep south either. Either way, it probably isn’t fair to judge an entire state by a single bill that hasn’t even passed yet. And hey, a state that gave us both Dolly Parton and a forty foot tall gilded statue of Athena Parthenos can’t be all bad.

It’s sad to see that this state is dominated by “modern day pharasees” the day will come when the heterosexist’s purposeful misinterpretation of those “six gay bashing passages” will be widely seen for the misinterpretations that they are. Those old testament verses were not against homosexuality, or homosexuals. They were “against pagan idolatry, temple prostitution, and irresponsible sexuality.” (Mel White from his book; “Stranger at the Gate) Gays and lesbians who live in commited, loving relationships and who cherish and honor their families were not the target of those verses. Also from Mel Whites book, Mel warned those ‘modern day pharasees’ in our society that by coontinuing their spiritual abuse of our glbt youth, they may be endangering their own souls. Jesus warned his disciples about what may happen to them if their words or actions lead to the suffering of God’s children. Pat Robertson and those like him better take heed.

Let’s just be clear on this – and Jessica Geen should take note as well: s28 of the Local Government Act did NOT ban homosexuality being discussed in family studies, court rooms, schools, hospitals and nursing homes, etc. Although the EFFECT of the Act was to frighten teachers so much that they decided not to discuss or even acknowledge the issue of same sex relationships during shool lessons or in relation to homophobic bullying, jokes, etc. The result of this was that homophobic bullying was – and still is – rife in our schools. What is different about this US legislation is that it clearly prevents any mention of any kind of relationship that is not heterosexual, and in this sense is a far more draconian legislation than s28. Our only hope is that it does not inspire the homphobic MPs in this country to try to introduce a similar ban in the UK.

I think they’d be laughed out of the country if they tried, Lilith :D There are many homophobes in the UK but even in my most pessimistic moments I never think they’d follow an idiotic proposal like this. The US is a very different place from the UK.

Very good points about Section 28. I think that it was also the tone of society in general then that made teachers wary. Towards the end of S28 people felt more relaxed in mentioning homosexuality in class.

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